July 17: Cleaning in the corners

Most of our activities these days are getting us ready to leave. It is a fine time to practice remembering experiencing actually being in this place that I love and not spend these last couple of weeks thinking about how sad it will be when I must leave it.

We're getting faster at our fillet line. Today, Chris, Trevor, and I filleted about 100 fish - maybe a few more - in 3 1/2 hours. David led the vacuum sealing crew of David, Jeff, Hugh, and Roger. They started when we'd finished about a dozen fish and gained on us slowly so that they were almost caught up with us by the time we finished.

While we were processing the fish, Chris and Trevor took a break to watch the bear we noticed on the mud flats in front of the dock. I tried to get them all in a photo - and I added a little arrow pointing to the bear. It looked bigger in real life.

The other thing that I notice about this photo is the beautiful red cliffs of South Naknek. They aren't always red like that, only when they reflect the light of a glorious sunset. I wonder if our cliffs ever reflect the light of a glorious sunrise?

After our rice and curry breakfast (with potatoes, onions, broccoli, canned beans, chickpeas, coconut milk, and chicken), the ground crew tackled Debby's cabin which suffered from our abrupt and premature departure last season. A lot of the items in that cabins seemed to be just removed from the boat and placed there, intact. Sorting it out this year - at the end of the season, unfortunately - reinforces the importance of not doing that. When something has been sitting, wet and undisturbed over the winter, no one really wants to explore it. It smells bad, might have dead things in it, looks dirty and feels icky. But in the bottom of a crate, for example, I found the one quart 2 cycle oil bottles we've been wishing we had all summer. Sigh. And the lines were in a jumble. I think the crew understood why it's important to have them clearly marked and in a designated place - because the time we're going to need a particular line is when the current is rushing in, something has just broken, most of the crew is holding the boat or holding the line, and we need XYZ. There won't be time to then sort through the various crates and piles of rope to find it - it will be important to be able to step into the cabin and lay hands on it in a few minutes. Hence, sorting, organizing, labeling.

Tomorrow, a little attention to Seattle work then maybe another 100 fish to fillet.

PS - Josh saved the day on missing the sunset. He was on the beach with Jake and Evan and his camera. I couldn't pick just one so here is the progression.